Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) has expanded its manufacturing capacity with the commissioning of three new production lines in Oyo and Kano States, reinforcing the Coca-Cola System’s long-term investment strategy in Nigeria despite a challenging operating environment.
The expansion, which forms part of Coca-Cola’s planned $1 billion five-year investment programme in Nigeria, showcases continued confidence in the country’s consumer market and industrial potential as multinational manufacturers increasingly weigh fresh capital commitments against macroeconomic reforms.
The new facilities, consisting two production lines at NBC’s Asejire plant in Oyo State and one at its Challawa plant in Kano State, represent the first phase of a broader nationwide capacity expansion programme scheduled to continue across the company’s Nigerian operations through 2026.
The projects were commissioned by John Owan Enoh, the minister of state for industry, trade and investment, who described the investment as a strong endorsement of Nigeria’s industrialisation agenda.
NBC said the newly installed production lines incorporate globally benchmarked bottling technology designed to improve operational efficiency while strengthening supply capabilities across its nationwide manufacturing network.
Speaking during the commissioning ceremony, Goran Sladic, managing director of NBC, said the investment reflects the company’s long-term commitment to Nigeria rather than a short-term business decision.
“NBC has been part of Nigeria’s growth story for 75 years. Since 1951, we have invested in people, infrastructure, manufacturing capability and communities across the country.
“The three new production lines we are commissioning today at Asejire and Challawa are proof of what is achievable when that commitment is matched by an enabling policy environment, and a signal that we intend to be part of this country’s story for the next 75 years and beyond,” Sladic said.
The latest expansion builds on more than $1.5 billion invested across NBC’s Nigerian operations over the past decade and advances the Coca-Cola System’s commitment announced in 2024 to invest up to $1 billion over five years, subject to a stable and predictable business environment.
The investments also reinforce the increasing emphasis multinational manufacturers are placing on local production as they seek to deepen domestic supply chains and reduce reliance on imports.
According to a 2024 socio-economic impact assessment conducted by Steward Redqueen, the Coca-Cola System generated $1 billion in value-added economic activity in Nigeria while supporting more than 160,000 livelihoods across its value chain.
The study found that for every direct job created within the Coca-Cola System, an additional 53 jobs were supported across the wider economy through suppliers, distributors and related businesses.
Local sourcing has also become a central component of the company’s manufacturing strategy.
NBC said it purchased about $601 million worth of goods and services from Nigerian suppliers in 2024, reflecting deeper integration with domestic production networks and supporting local manufacturing ecosystems.
Speaking at the commissioning, Enoh described NBC’s 75-year presence in Nigeria as evidence of sustained private sector confidence in the country’s industrial prospects.
“Seventy-five years is not merely an anniversary; it is an argument—an argument that Nigeria is worth believing in, made not in words but in plant and payroll, and sustained across three generations.
“When an established company deepens its capacity, lengthens its local supply chains and spreads opportunity across Nigeria, it is not merely expanding a business. It is helping to write the industrial story this country has resolved to tell,” he said.
The commissioning ceremony also marked NBC’s 75th anniversary in Nigeria, with the company unveiling a limited-edition commemorative product label celebrating its long-standing presence in the country.
